The 5-foot-8 sophomore forward has averaged about 10 points and eight rebounds a game for the Lady Scots, who were 9-7 as of last Friday.

In addition to her scoring and rebounding, Castanet is also a key player defensively for the team.

Galloway coach Kiesha Brown said Castanet gives a boost to the team with her consistency and leadership.

“She’s one of those people — I knew from the first time I saw her play — who is very dependable,” Brown said. “She’s the glue to our team. You won’t get anything fancy out of Galloway, first of all, but you’re going to get consistency. Of all the other varsity girls on the team, she’s the most consistent.

“Every game, every practice, you may not see it at the end of the day, but that stat sheet tells it all. She’s just very efficient. She leads the team in rebounding. She’s had some big scoring games. She’s had some big defensive game. She’s just really solid in what she does and I know that when the ball gets in her hands, she’s going to get it right almost every time.”

That's my daughter. The coach is so kind in her praise. Julia is turing into a basketball player, and the coaches, Keisha and Rita are to credit. They run a meritocracy, just like the WNBA where they played. The coaches are teaching the girls a culture of hard work rewarded. I think I'm pretty objective about my daughter. She is not the most talented, but her work ethic and maturity and attitude are exceptional. That makes her a quiet leader in spite of her relatively modest talent as a basketball player. But she is certainly improving as a player, and we're so proud of her, mostly for her traits, above.

The coaches have taught our girls' team a whole new playing and practice paradigm, and enriched the girls tremendously.

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